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Apache Druid vs Apache Kylin

Apache Druid: Real-time analytics database for sub-second slice-and-dice over streaming event data. Apache Kylin: OLAP engine that pre-computes cubes and aggregate indexes for sub-second SQL on huge datasets.

key differences

  • Transactions: Apache Druid offers limited ACID; Apache Kylin offers none.
  • Only Apache Druid has secondary indexes, geospatial, json, ttl / expiry, streaming ingest.
  • Only Apache Kylin has materialized views.

choose apache-druid for

  • +User-facing analytics dashboards
  • +Clickstream and ad-tech analytics
  • +Network and application telemetry
  • +Real-time operational monitoring

best at · Real-time analytics, OLAP, Time-series

choose apache-kylin for

  • +Enterprise BI dashboards with fixed dimensions
  • +Replacing legacy MOLAP cubes
  • +High-concurrency reporting

best at · OLAP, Warehouse

Apache DruidReal-time analytics database for sub-second slice-and-dice over streaming event data.
Apache KylinOLAP engine that pre-computes cubes and aggregate indexes for sub-second SQL on huge datasets.
overview
Primary model
Columnar / OLAP
Columnar / OLAP
Also supports
Time-Series, Relational
Relational
Type
Database engine
Database engine
Status
Active
Active
Developer
Apache Software Foundation
Apache Software Foundation
First release
2012
2014
Latest version
38.0.0 (Oct 1, 2026)
5.0.5 (Jul 13, 2026)
License
Open source (permissive)Apache License 2.0
Open source (permissive)Apache License 2.0
Free tier
✓
✓
popularity
WhichDB Score
35.0
16.9
Rank
#58
#196
GitHub stars
14.1K
3.8K
Stack Overflow questions
620
154
scale & guarantees
Comfortable data size
Massive (Multi-PB)
Massive (Multi-PB)
Horizontal scaling
Native
Native
Multi-region
None
None
ACID
Limited
None
Consistency
Eventual
Eventual
Schema
Flexible
Strict
Architecture
Distributed, Shared storage
Distributed, Client server
deployment
Self-hosted
✓
✓
Vendor-managed cloud
—
—
Serverless
—
—
Embedded
—
—
Edge
—
—
Clouds
–
–
capabilities
Transactions
—
—
Joins
✓
✓
Secondary indexes
✓
—
Full-text search
—
—
Vector search
—
—
Geospatial
✓
—
JSON
✓
—
Change data capture
—
—
Triggers
—
—
Stored procedures
—
—
Materialized views
—
✓
TTL / expiry
✓
—
Pub/Sub
—
—
Columnar storage
✓
✓
In-memory
—
—
Durable persistence
✓
✓
Compression
✓
✓
Encryption at rest
—
—
Role-based access
✓
✓
Time travel
—
—
Branching
—
—
Online schema changes
—
—
Streaming ingest
✓
—
Offline sync
—
—
Runs in WebAssembly
—
—
interfaces
Query languages
Druid SQL, Druid native JSON queries
SQL (ANSI)
Client languages
Java, Python, Go, JavaScript
Java, Python
Best for
Real-time analytics, OLAP, Time-series, Observability
OLAP, Warehouse
Add more to this comparisonNot sure either fits? Try smart match

Apache Druid vs Apache Kylin: FAQ

What is the difference between Apache Druid and Apache Kylin?

Apache Druid: Real-time analytics database for sub-second slice-and-dice over streaming event data. Apache Kylin: OLAP engine that pre-computes cubes and aggregate indexes for sub-second SQL on huge datasets. Transactions: Apache Druid offers limited ACID; Apache Kylin offers none. Only Apache Druid has secondary indexes, geospatial, json, ttl / expiry, streaming ingest. Only Apache Kylin has materialized views.

When should I choose Apache Druid over Apache Kylin?

Choose Apache Druid for user-facing analytics dashboards; clickstream and ad-tech analytics; and network and application telemetry. Choose Apache Kylin for enterprise BI dashboards with fixed dimensions, replacing legacy MOLAP cubes and high-concurrency reporting.

Is Apache Druid or Apache Kylin more popular?

Apache Druid ranks #58 on the WhichDB Score (35.0/100) and Apache Kylin ranks #196 (16.9/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are Apache Druid and Apache Kylin open source?

Yes. Apache Druid is open source. License: Apache License 2.0. Yes. Apache Kylin is open source. License: Apache License 2.0.